Early Arrival!!

Evelyn "Eva" Scott Schoen arrived last Monday, October 6th much to our surprise. Having had contractions all weekend but still 3 weeks from my due date of October 24th, we were happily perplexed. Weighing 7 lbs 5 ozs and measuring 20 inches, she was indeed as big as a full-term baby, and momma was pleased she didn't have to wait 3 more weeks for her to get even larger!

3 Weeks and Counting

Now that I have developed a waddle, random people all over Atlanta are volunteering to help me with groceries, inviting me to cut in front of them in line, or simply just to assist me in getting into Mark's big-ass truck.

With only three weeks left to go, I am excited and utterly ready to be in the not-pregnant category of friends!

(At 35 weeks with mom and Misty at a baby shower in Rome; Mark at the 7 Hills Adventure Race in Rome where he had an awesome finish after a mountain bike, run, and canoe down the Coosa River)

Carrie's Shower

The new house was officially christened this past weekend as I hosted a bridal shower for my friend, Carrie. Not only did that mean shoving all unpacked boxes and junk into empty closets, but the opportunity was also presented for me to use my new standing mixer and cook my first significant amount of food in the new kitchen. Significant is used liberally with the menu only including roasted red pepper pimento cheese crostini, honey-lime fruit salad, gorgonzola-toasted pecan-fig canapes, and vanilla buttercream cupcakes.

Week 30 and Braves Game

This picture is now about two weeks old, but here is the big belly at Week 30.

During this same weekend we had a chance to use some tickets at the Braves' SunTrust Club. If you ever want a close-up of Francouer's backside, these are the seats to have. Great food and all the wine and beer (or water for me) you desire. After the game we ran into Smoltz just outside the Club. Guess it is easy to sign autographs when you do not have any other team responsibilities.

San Diego

Dilan in her new sunnies at the San Diego Zoo; Jodie, Kajal, Dilan, and Me at La Soledad; Jack at the dog beach in Coronado

Jodie and her husband, Joey, have arrived back in the U.S. from Japan. In addition to this excuse to visit sunny, Southern California, Kajal and Brett decided to take a California trip to introduce Dilan to some family members. So I jumped back on a plane shortly after my arrival back in Atlanta and went out to join them!

Goodbye Australia!

My Geelong friends, Susan and Colleen, at Lotus Cafe; Me at 22 weeks on the porch in front of Corio Bay for the last time

The past three weeks have flown by, and I have not gotten a chance to think about or truly say goodbye to Australia. What a wonderful country to have the opportunity to explore for the past year and a half!

Any time one has the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time out of the country there is much to be learned and a lot of personal growth to be manifested. If I had to list a few things that stick out from the past year and half, the list would include:

1. I said it at the beginning of our time in Australia, and I will say it again: It is unbelievable to think about how far away Australia is from the U.S. but how similar its living conditions and people are to America. With today's technology of Vonage and Hotmail I never thought a lot about the distance between myself and the U.S. when living my life in Geelong. Then nine hours into a flight from Melbourne to L.A., with five more to go, it hits you how Australia truly sits in a remote corner of the world. Australians feel it to, and I think that is one of the reasons for their genuine friendliness. They relish interaction with others to alleviate some of their alienation.

2. I have always found pleasure in pouring over restaurant reviews and planning out my food choices online before an anticipated restaurant visit. While Mark and I really had some fantastic meals in Australian restaurants (Buon Riccordo, La Tavola, Grossi Florentino, Cafe e Cucina, The Flower Drum to name a few), it was nice to expand my love of cooking and enjoy a good bottle of Australian wine (pre-pregnancy - boo!) at home. We did this a lot, and I think my growth of food and wine knowledge can be attributed to this. Sure there were quite a few calamities in the kitchen, but that is how you learn.

3. Most importantly, in my time spent abroad, I have learned to an even greater extent that we here in America are only a small, but great, part of the world. It is easy to consume one's self in everyday life and not seek to learn about other cultures. And, while Australia is not exactly a culturally different country, it still presents an opportunity to observe antipodean perspective on the rest of the world and even on the U.S. It is my hope that my child will one day get to spend time out of the country (even though I will miss her) and grasp this concept also.

G'day Australia, and thank you for your wonderful hospitality, beautiful landscape, and for the chance to spend time with koalas and kangaroos!

Big Girl Pants

They are finally here. Relief!! I may never go back to wearing fixed waistline pants again. You can eat and eat and never feel bloaty, at least in the pants.

I will be starting on my 20th week tomorrow, so the halfway mark is upon us. I have now gained about 7 lbs, but the late night Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies (courtesy of Carrie) will be catching up with me soon.

It's a girl!

Our 3-D ultrasound today confirmed that we are having a little girl, and she is perfectly healthy with two arms, two legs, 10 fingers, and 10 toes! We are very thankful and excited!

Jodie's Visit from Japan

A little over a year ago, Kajal and I visited Jodie in Japan. At the time we remarked how interesting it was that three girls from Rome, GA were placed at different corners of the world. While I still believe that is phenomenal that I have had a chance to spend the last year in Australia, Jodie the past three years in Japan, and Kajal the past three-plus years in New York City, I believe the most remarkable aspect is how we have all kept in touch and gotten to experience each other's lives in our respective parts of the world.

Jodie came to visit last week as she prepares to move to San Diego with her husband and dog, Jack. I feel pretty good about the sights Jodie was able to see, as we drove out the Great Ocean Road to Port Fairy and to the Twelve Apostles, spent a night in Sydney, spent various days in Melbourne eating great food, and a few days around Geelong tasting wine at Petavel (only Jodie) and stalking kangaroo.

Here are a few pictures from our trips:

Jodie and Julie on the ferry in front of the Sydney Harbor Bridge; Jodie and Julie at the Twelve Apostles

Funny story about this picture.....A group of emus were wandering around a picnic area at Tower Hill on Mother's Day. They are known to be quite aggressive when it comes to their Sunday lunch, and this group of people found out the hard way. The emu snuck in between the two guys on the left and grabbed a piece of bread. Much to his chagrin, the older gentlemen with the glasses had a gut reaction to punch the emu in the beak. I guess we have strange senses of humor, but we laughed for days about his one.

My link of the meme....

You can thank Kajal for this little piece of insight into Julie's mind. A meme is similar to a chain communication. I have been tagged to share six random thoughts.

1. Putting all political views aside, Hilary Clinton looks like she is storing nuts in her cheeks for the winter. I'm sorry, but it is true.

2. As I begin to think about my child and the knowledge he or she will gain during education, it frustrates me that a lot of Americans do not have the faintest interest in world geography. Where the hell is Myanmar?, one might say. I love maps and enjoy perusing maps while trying to learn something new. I am also lucky to have walking world atlas for a husband!

3. My love for avocados has grown exponentially in the past three months. Maybe you can chalk it up to the new baby, but I could eat them with sea salt and lemon, smash them up with garlic and tomatoes, or eat them straight out of the skin with a spoon.

4. In keeping with food-related topics, I wish McDonalds served sour cream with its french fries. Or better yet, sweet chili sauce. You can, again, probably chalk this up to pregnancy.

5. My dog, Cash, likes to scratch his ear with his back paw while closing his eyes like it feels really good. Then he smells his paw.

6. How do stinky people not smell themselves? Maybe a better question would be, Do they not have wives, husbands, or significant others that have a sense of smell? And why are they always the ones that are perfectly happy to hold onto the overhead rail on a train while everyone else is fine with the bar at eye level?

I'm probably going to break this chain because I don't know six more people (not included on Kajal's site) that have a blog.....

Belly News

As most people now know we are pregnant and due to have our first baby on October 24th. I have finally gotten the initiative to put some big belly, or growing belly, pictures up on the blog. Unfortunately there is more and more belly to share as each day goes by........

(L to R: 11 weeks; 15 weeks)

Winery Working

Since February I have been working at Pettavel Winery on the 2008 vintage. The experience has been a great way for me to transform my interest in drinking Australian wine into a more educational endeavor.

The first question I get from folks is, "Are you sick of tasting wine?" The answer is twofold: 1. People that work in wineries do not actually swallow the wine. 2. No educated winemaker would ever gamble the 2008 vintage on my wine tasting abilities. I seem to only smell strawberries and taste tobacco or cocoa in wine. Not a very diverse box of smells and tastes!

My main role at the winery is to test alcohol levels, baume (measure of sugar levels), PH, and acid levels in the wine. Do not tell the folks at Pettavel that my performance in Chemistry 101 and 102 at Tech was less than stellar!

Mark's Races

While I continue to search for the urge to get up off the couch to run, Mark has entered three races over the past three weekends and done extremely well.

Geelong Half-Marathon: 1:56:35

Geelong Triathlon: 1:01:31 (500m swim; 10K cycle; 5K run)

Tri X Triathlon: 2:00:02 (500m swim; 20K mountain bike; 6k run)

Byron Bay Bluesfest

A day spent at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in New South Wales with Wilco, Buddy Guy, and Keb Mo (not pictured).

Buddy Guy has been a favorite for some time, but Wilco really moved to the top of the Schoen rankings after this performance. "Sky Blue Sky" is an excellent CD and is highly recommended.

Goodbye to the Kiwis

(L to R:) Mark and Julie in Doubtful Sound at the camp site after a day of sea kayaking. The next morning we awoke to a family of dolphins swimming in this same spot.; The Wilmot Pass overlook giving us a nice picture of the area where we had been sea kayaking for the past two days; A glimpse of the glacial rock, Mt. Earnslaw, on our 3-day hike south of Queenstown; Getting closer to Mt. Earnslaw after a break for lunch; Waking up under our rock bivy in the morning with our hiking partner, Ardmore (our guide, Jo's, dog); Mark's death-defying canyoning trip where he abseiled and slid down rocks in whitewater rapids escaping with only 4 stitches in his elbow; Julie's less-harrowing Saturday spent at the Wanaka farm show watching the sheep dog competition and the Jack Russell Terrier race.

We say goodbye to New Zealand for a short while, or at least until we get to this side of the world again. A mere 11 hours from LAX, we will surely find ourselves here again in the future.

Get rid of all of those bad-for-the-environment catalogs.....

Around the world in 14 days.....

* This post is going to have a strong theme of food, reminiscent of everyday life in the Schoen household.

Atlanta:

Our recent trip back to Atlanta turned out to be a bit more like an around-the-world trip with a stopover in Atlanta. Mark entered the U.S. via Park City for a 3-day business meeting, and I completed the 24-hour trek via L.A. and Dallas. The stay in Atlanta gave us enough time to visit friends and family, take in a concert by Sharon Jones, eat at a newly-chosen, Schoen Atlanta Top 10, Tamarind Seed, and dine at unfaltering beloveds Sotto Sotto and Six Feet Under.

New York:

Then it was off to New York with Carrie for Julie to visit Kajal for her birthday. New York, being the mecca for all things related to eating and drinking wine, was the perfect venue. Friday night saw Carrie and me trying a new restaurant, Insieme, near Times Square and surprising not touristy at all. The choice for the evening, since we like to act like high-rollers sometimes, was the five-course tasting menu. The food was good, but the highlight was the matched wines. That and the fact that we only requested the half-glass matches but were poured the full-glasses just for our southern charm. Here are the wines:

Riesling, Donhoff, 2006, Nahe (served with a scallop dish)
Blanc Des Rosis, Schiopetto, 2005, Friuli (served with a black olive oil hamachi - yummy)
Dedalo, Fiorre, 2004, Sicily (favorite wine- served with a pasta dish)
Bardol, La Bastide Blanche, 2004, Provence (served with brasata al barolo, a braised beef dish - tasty)
Samling 88 TBA, Sonnenmulde, 2002, Brugenland (served with apple confit)

Now, don't think we are drunks.....You are only in NYC once (a year). We finished the evening with a little Paul Hobbs Cab at Park Blue on W. 58th St.

Oh, the eating didn't stop there. In fact, it went right on through the entire next day. With the kick-off at Fanelli's Cafe (Mercer and Prince) in Soho, we stuffed our pieholes full of homemade french fries, chicken salad, and crab cakes. After meeting up with Kajal, we put our faith in her that she would come through with a mid-afternoon snack. After wandering around a bit, as Kaj is not so good with directions sometimes, we sat down to a tasting flight of New York State Cabs and Blends (not Kaj since she is about to have a baby) and a cheese plate at Vintage New York Wine Bar.

In celebration of Kaj's birthday, Carrie and I met her and friends that night at Sala on the Lower East Side for stuffed dates, spanish tortilla, and paella.

Just so that we could rightfully say that we would not be able to button our pants for at least a week, we topped off the weekend with brunch at Norma's at the Le Parker Meridien on Sunday morning. As if we had not eaten enough at that point, Carrie and I were about to eat our toes upon arrival and were not too happy with the wait or slow service. All was redeemed when they brought us the banana, macadamia nut pancakes with brown sugar butter, and eggs benedict made with pancakes instead of english muffins. Dear lord, I wish that I could have borrowed Kajal's maternity jeans at that point.

London:

After NYC I met back up with Mark in London, as he had some business there for a few days.

When I lived in England for a summer back in 1998, London was not particularly known for its culinary prowess but more for its food poisoning-inducing dining and greasy pub food. The evolution of the culinary scene over the past 5-8 years could quite possibly be attributed to super-chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver, but the reason is no matter. How pleasantly surprised I was to have several great meals during our stay this time.

Ladbroke Arms in Notting Hill was a great deviation from the British pubs and fish and chips you often associate with London. I was even able to order a goat cheese salad and saffron risotto! The clientele (think Hugh Grant in his film Notting Hill) was also a pleasant departure from the typical pub crowd.

Senor Sassi's in Kensington was a bit blah and a bit of a disappointment, but it was good to catch up with our friend Paul Grayling.

Singapore:

Evidently planes are mechanically unable to fly directly from London to Australia, so we made a 14-hour stop in Singapore just in time for the the Chinese New Year celebration of "The Year of the Rat".

It always helps to gain the perspective of a local, and one of Mark's colleagues, Sin Hin, was an excellent ambassador for the celebration and traditional Singaporean cuisine. When in Singapore, you must eat Chili Crab and Black Pepper Crab. But, due to Chinese New Year we also added a traditional dish, Yusheng. Yusheng implies "abundance of wealth and long life" and is tossed high in the air by all diners at the table to promote "a rise" specifically in business.

(This is Yusheng.)

The dish comprises the following ingredients:

-Some sort of raw fish (usually salmon these days), symbolizing abundance throughout the coming year.

-Pomelo sprinkled over the fish for good luck and value

-Pepper sprinkled over the dish for prosperity in wealth and worldly items.

- Oil poured in a circle to increase profits 10,000 times

-Carrots added to the dish for further blessings of good luck

-Green radish is piled on top of the fish to grant eternal youth.

-White radish is added for prosperity in business and promotions.

- Condiments are added including peanut crumbs (households filled with gold and silver), sesame seeds (successful business), and deep-friend flour crisps (the floor should be filled with gold)

-Everything is then tossed 7 times by the entire table

I'm still waiting on my floor full of gold!

Christmas Down Under with the Moms

(Christmas Eve in front of our $25AUD Christmas tree, New Year's Eve at Finnigan's Place, Sue and Julie in front of Franz Josef Glacier in NZ, Sara in her punt in Christchurch, Julie feeding a sheep at the bed and breakfast in Greymouth, NZ)

Let me start out by saying how very proud we are of our moms for making the 24-hour trip over the international date line to spend Christmas, New Year's, and a little of January with us. Christmas was spent throwing a few "shrimp on the barbie", basking in the Australian summer sun while thinking of our frozen friends back in the U.S., and sharing a few laughs at Cash's expense.


After two weeks of time with us in Geelong (with the exception of Sara's trip to ride a camel and have canapes near Ayers Rock), Sara, Sue, and I flew over the Tasman to visit the Kiwis in New Zealand. As I have mentioned before, it is absolutely true what they say about there being more sheep than people (a comparison of 40 million to 4 million) in NZ. And now, after hearing the story of a sheep's life, I have vowed to not eat lamb any more. That may last until it is served up in a yummy way the next time I visit an Australian restaurant. In any case, I have made the proclamation that I will have two sheep, in addition to my 10 dogs (one, of course, being a sheep dog), when Mark and I finally buy our farm.


It is true what they say about New Zealand being one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is always tough to hone in and say, "This is absolutely the most beautiful place I have ever seen". But, among many candidates, NZ has to be close to the top of the list.